Pass the salt shaker….on past your plate.

Several of you have asked what is the big deal about salt in your diet. Here’s the deal..

Added table salt WILL effect your body negatively if you don’t keep a handle on it. The recommended amount of salt per day is 1500 mg or less. I err on the side of less because I know that it, just like sugar, will change the way my taste buds respond to food and digestion. Table salt, while it contains iodine a valuable mineral, is void of many other valuable qualities/minerals that aid our bodies in healing and support good health. It is overused in processed and restaurant food.

Excess sodium will increase your thirst and thus require you up your hydration immediately. For some of you, it will send you on a sugar binge soon after you eat it because you crave a sweet to counter balance the excess salt.

One of the biggest drawbacks to too much sodium is that sodium promotes turning cortisone into the hormone cortisol. Excess cortisol in your body turns into belly fat, something we are all trying to fight.

Sodium also raises blood pressure levels, another negative.

A better bet is to add your own salt to dishes and in your cooking so you can control the amount you get. I recommend you vary the sources of your salt to include alternating using iodized salt, sea salt and himalayan pink salt. That way you are providing your body and palate with many different sources of salt and controlling the amount.

An aside fact. Did you know electrolyte drinks, ie. gatorade, powerade, the like, contain ingredients that wreak havoc on your Adrenal Glands. These glands are instrumental in the production and balance of many hormones in your body. Being an athlete, I was using those sources regularly to replenish my body during/after workouts thinking I was helping my body. Once I was diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue several years ago, I was made aware of this fact. So, I switched from using a sport electrolyte drink during my long workouts (2 plus hours in duration) to a pinch of sea salt added to my bottle of water. This way I am gaining the same replenishing electrolyte mix during my workout without added sugar and unnecessary additives and reducing the stress on my Adrenals.